Cable-type bark-removal devices



Aug. 28, 1956 s. HANSEL CABLE-TYPE BARK-REMOVAL DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 7, 1955 INVENTOR SYDNEY HANSEL fz jqfguwe ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1956 s. HANSEL 2,760,534

CABLE-TYPE BARK-REMOVAL DEVICES Filed March 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE NTOR' SYDNEY HANSEL ATTORNEY United States Patent CABLE-TYPE BARK-REMOVAL DEVHIES Sydney Hansel, Edmonds, Wash.

Application March 7, 1955, Serial No. 492,683

1 Claim. (Cl. 144-2ll8) My invention relates to improvements in cable type bark removal devices.

The objects of the present machine are to provide equipment for removing bark from logs by abrading a kerf through said bark and ultimately peeling said bark lengthwise from the log in strips. Further objects are to provide a structure which will work down to the carnbium layer of the log without penetrating therebeyond, so that waste is prevented. A further object is to provide a means for removing bark from logs which does not involve the use of water or anything which will impair the operators view of the work being done upon the logs.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the barking device showing the debarking cables in contact with a log.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the invention taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the invention.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

in the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates a floor upon which a log conveyor frame 2 is constructed and 3 indicates a log conveyor thereon of any appropriate type which is designed to feed logs to be barked to the barking device which is generally indicated by the numeral 10.

The device is formed of two confronting side operating units 11 and one top operating unit 12, which are mounted respectively on opposite sides of the conveyor 3 and above a log carried thereon. The units 11, 11 and 12 are spaced lengthwise of the conveyor, and each of the units 11 includes a heavy C-shaped yoke 14 which is rockingly mounted at an outer end of its lower arm by a drive shaft 16 extending through spaced pedestals of a bearing 15. The drive shaft 16 is fitted with a pulley 17 which is adapted to be driven from a motor 19. The shaft 16 is fitted intermediate its ends with a drive sheave 21). The yoke 14 has an outer end of its upper arm fitted with a pin 21 which journals a freely rotatable cable sheave 22. An arm 23 is mounted on the base of the yoke 14, which arm extends along a line normal to a line drawn between the drive sheave and the cable sheave 22 and on this arm a double acting cylinder 25 is carried. The cylinder 25 is fitted with a piston rod 26 having a fork 27 at its outer end in which an idler sheave 28 is journaled. An endless cable 33 is trained about the sheaves 20, 22 and 28 of each of the side units 11.

A hydraulic cylinder 34 is oscillatingly mounted on the floor under each of the yokes 14 and the yokes are pivotally connected to the cylinders 34 by the piston rods 35, so as to swing the yokes as desired about a hori- Patented Aug. 28, 1956 ice zontal axis to wrap the cables 33 around logs as they are advanced along the conveyor.

The top unit 12 is suspended from a horizontal beam structure 38 which carries a pair of spaced vertical hydraulic cylinders 39 having piston rods 40. Attached to the free ends of the piston rods is a horizontal frame or track 41 along which two spaced carriages 43 are movable. Mounted on the track 41 is a cylinder 44 having a piston rod 45 reciprocable at each end, which rods are connected at their exposed ends to the carriages 43. The piston rods 45 are coupled for simultaneous movement in opposite directions. Each of the carriages are provided with hangers 47 supporting cable sheaves 48 which mount an endless cable 49. A motor 51 is carried by one of the hangers 47 and is connected by a belt and pulley drive 52 to drive that sheave 48 that drives the cable 49.

In operation, the side units 11 are separated by actuating the hydraulic cylinders 34, thus bringing each of the yokes 14 to the position shown in dotted outline in Figure 1 and the horizontal frame 41 of the top unit 12 is raised and the carriages 43 separated to raise the cable 49 out of the way. As the log moves along the log conveyor 3 to cross the cables 33 and 49, the cylinders 34 are again actuated to bring the yokes 14 towards each other to encompass the log and the top unit is operated to lower the cable 49 onto the log in such position that it will encompass that part of the logs periphery which is not engaged by the cables 33. The motors 19, 19 and 51 are started and the cylinders 25 are actuated to tighten the operating runs of the cables 33 about the log and the cylinder 44 is also actuated to tension the operating run of the cable 49 across the upper arc of the log. The pressure of the cables 33 and 49 is increased rapidly and even if the log is not being advanced by the conveyor 3, the running cables will cut through the bark to the cambium layer. Afterwards, as the log advances along the conveyo all the cables will undercut the bark with both a slicing and a shearing action, causing it to be stripped and shredded from the log, leaving the log clean and smooth and substantially without abrasion of its wood surface.

What I claim as my invention is:

A log-barking device comprising in combination with a log conveyor, a pair of confronting C-shaped frames spaced lengthwise of the conveyor and mounted for swinging movement on horizontal shafts adjacent one end of said frames, a cable sheave adjacent the ends of each of said frames, an endless cable trained upon the sheaves of each frame, a cylinder mounted on each frame, said cylinder having a piston rod supporting an idler sheaves, said cable being trained about the idler sheaves, said cylinder being adapted to be actuated to tension the cable between the several sheaves, means for imparting movement to the cables, and means for moving the frames towards and away from each other to cause the cables to strip bark from from a log advancing on the conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,937,073 Stuve Nov. 28, 1933 2,575,422 Laulainen Nov. 20, 1951 2,576,127 Lefiler Nov. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 151,366 Switzerland July 1, 1933 128,197 Sweden May 9, 1950 82,910 Norway Dec. 21, 1953 

